The helicopter stopped the pickup Treviño was riding in27kilometers (about 16 miles)southwest of the border city of Nuevo Laredo, said Eduardo Sanchez Hernandez, the Mexican government's security spokesman.

Treviño, known as Z-40, had $2 million, eight weapons and hundreds of ammunition cartridges with him when he was captured around 3:45 a.m., Sanchez said.

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The Zetas leader was in the pickup truck with two others, who were also arrested.

"It seems like one of them was in charge of financial operations of this gang and the other was a bodyguard," Sanchez said, adding that authorities would have more information after speaking with the suspects.

No shots were fired in the operation, said Sanchez, who didn't explain how the helicopter managed to stop the pickup.

"It made a maneuver that resulted in the truck stopping, and three people in the truck were apprehended by personnel on the ground who came to support the navy, which had made the detention using the helicopter," he said.

The name of the cartel conjures up some of the most violent images of the drug war: a casino fire that killed 52 people, the deaths of 72 migrants and tortured bodies hanging from bridges.

It's unclear how Treviño's arrest could affect the cartel.

Mexico's state-run Notimex news agency described Treviño as the head of the Zetas. But Sanchez did not mention the cartel's name during Monday night's news conference and did not describe Treviño as its leader.

Asked by a reporter Monday night who would head the organization after his capture, and whether Treviño's brother played a role in leading the cartel, Sanchez declined to comment.